Wood-drying apparatus



(No Model.) sheets-.sheet 1.l

DQRNOYES. Wood `Drying: Apparatus. No'. 241,407. Patented AMay 10,1881.

N. PETERS, FMtu-Ulhngrzpher, Washington. D. C.

l (No Model.) zsheets-sheet 2.

D. F. NOYES. Wood Drying Apparatus. No. 241,407. i Patented May 10, 188|.

.N. PETERS, Fhob-Liihngrlpher. Washington. D. C.

UNITED STATES ;.n

PATENT OFFICE.

DAvID F. Nomisma Lewlsron, MAINE.

- `wooo-Davinci APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 241,407, dated May 10, 1881.

' Application filed March 2G, 1881. (No model.)

provements in Wood-Drying Apparatus; `and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention,

that will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use` the same, reifen ence being had to the accompauyin g drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon,

`which form a part of thisspecification.

My invention relates to certain improve ments in wood-drying apparatus, in which the material is artificiallyseasoned between metal platens heated internally by steam.; 'and these improvements consist, tirst, in the novel construction and arrangement ofthe platen, wherebythe steam for heating the samewill pass through the platen wit-hout the platen being subjected topressure therefrom; second, in the novel construction and arrangement, with two or more of said platens, of means for conveying the steam directly from platen to platen; and, third, i n the novel means employed for suspending the platens in horizontal planes, one beneaththe other, in a connected manner, from their supporting-frame, all as more1 fully :hereinafter set forth.

In the drawings which forma part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side view of a wooddrying apparatus provided with my improvements; Fig. 2, a view of the opposite side of same; Fig. 3, an end view of the` same, and

Fig. 4. a view of one of the platens with one ot' .the nclosing-plates removed.

. 1. The letter A represents `one of my improved platens. This platen is madeby taking gas-piping, the usual length of which is about twenty feet, and ben din git backward and forward upon `itself until it assumes the shape of `a 'livefold ahovemannen I might, Without departingfrom y the spirit of the-invention, have the piping cut `into lengths of about fourfeet, and lthen con-` neet these lengths at their opposite `ends by `means ot'` elbows -fitted thereon, and united to one another by a right-and-left nipple or screw; but the objection to this lies in the fact that it is quite expensive, and the joints are liable to allow the escape of steam into the interior of the platen.

Upon the upper and lower sides of the folds B, I provide a plate, a, of brass or any other suitable metal, and about one-eighth of an inch inthickness, adapted to rest against the folds, coverin g their upper and lower surfaces entirely and projecting beyond their ends and sides a distance equal to, or a little more than, the thickness of the side pieces, to be presently described. These plates aare united by means ot' the side pieces, b, of metal, about three-eighths of an inch in thickness, adapted to 4be secured to the project-ing edges of theplates by screws or anyother suitable means, thereby entirely inclosing the folds B, except at the points where the piping enters and leaves the platen. Supports b pass transversely between the plates a in the spaces between the folds B, and may be made of wood or metal, as desired.

By consulting Fig. 4of the drawings it will be seen that the piping enters land leaves the plates a from the same side. lThis arrangement is intended when only a platen of the capacity of one length of the piping is needed,

i in which case the platens would, in length and width, be alittle more-than four feet and weigh about three hundred pounds. This size of platen is intended for drying thin material, such as veneers, &c., although it isequally as well adapted to the seasoning of lumber of an inch in thickness in. lengths ot' less than four feet. For long lumber, such as boards ol' twelve or sixteen feet, the plates a may be made three or four feet wide and twelve or sixteen `feet long, as the occasion requires.

As l cannot obtain the piping longer than twenty feet, I form the U-folds4 from one piece,

first fold enters.

The arrangement of the long plates upon the folds of piping is the same as heretofore de i scribed, and also that of the side pieces connecting said plates together; but, instead of supporting the plates a transversely between and lengthwise of the spaces between thefolds of piping, I prefer to place the supports between the foldslengthwise the plates and about one or two inches apart.

There the lengths of piping are coupled together it is necessary to have these ends in one platen break joints with those in the adjacent platens, so that when suspended the meeting surfaces of the platens can be brought near enough together to accommodate the thinnest material to be seasoned.

.In constructing the long platens I might, without departing from the spirit of the invention, use a sufficient number of the full lengths of piping, placing them lengthwise the plates and couple their opposite ends together, as heretofore described; but I prefer the manner of forming the piping into folds and then connecting the folds.

I will now describe the manner in which ia series of two or more ot' these platens are suspended.

To the under side of a top piece, C, with which the frame for supporting the platens is provided, is permanently fastened, in any suitable manner, one of my improved platens, A. I provide this platen and each succeeding one with headed pins or studs a', arranged on opposite sides thereof, and at such a distance apart` as to safely and properly sustain the suspended platens. By means of fiat links a2, removably fitted upon the pins a', the first and second platens are connected. The third platen is connected in a similar manner to the second, the fourth to the third, and so on until the desired numberof platens are suspendedin horizontal planes, one beneath the other, in a connected manner. In placing the links upon the pins while connecting the platens each alternate link must rest against the outer faces of the links adjacent, so that there will be no binding or wedging of the links in raising and lowering the platens. These links permit the platens to separate from one another a suficient distance to allow the ready insertion of the material to be seasoned, and they are made of different lengths and removable, so as to accommodate in the same apparatus the various thicknesses of the material to be seasoned. For instance, the apparatus could be used for seasoning one-eighth-iuch material, and then by placing 011 longer links allow the insertion of material of a greater thickness. Ihe studs or pins a are secured to all the platens in the same relative positions, so that when the platens are suspended each series of links shall be in a vertical line and about two or three feet apart.

The last fold of piping must have i I will now describe the means employed for conveying the steam directly from platen to platen.

By consulting Fig. l ofthe drawings it will be seen that a pipe, b2, connects Othe fold of piping in the first platen with the fold in the second, and so on throughout the series of platens with which the drying apparatus is provided. This pipe 112, as shown,is connected by means of elbows to the exit end of the fold of piping in the first platen and the entering of the fold in the second. The second is connected with the third in a similarmanner, the third with the fourth, and so on throughout the series of platens. The entering end of the fold of piping in the first platen is connected with the steam-generator and provided with a suitable stop-cock. The exit end of the fold or folds of piping in the last platen is also provided with a stop-cock, and is connected with a pipe to convey away the steam after it has been used in heating the platens.

To prevent condensation of steam the pipes b2 can be covered, if desired. The deflection of these pipes is sufficiently great to readily allow the necessary adjustment of the platens for the insertion of the material to be seasoned. The piping B lnay be of any desired diameter, from one-fourth to onehalf inch, the pipes b2 from one-eighth to one-fourth inch.

The operation of a drying apparatus provided with the above improvements is as follows: The suspended platens are separat-ed to the full length of the links, and then the material placedibetween the adjacent surfaces of the platens from lone end of the apparatus, as shown in Fig. 3. When the spaces vbetween the several platens are properly lilled the platens are raised until the material between each set is firmly held against their adjacent surfaces.

In the drawings I have shown the platens raised and held by means of a clamp device operated bya screw from the top of the supporting-frame; but the platens can be raised equally as well, if not better, by hydraulic power or toggle-joints applied directly under the series. It should be borne in mind, however, when the power for raising the platens is applied, to have the under surface of the lowest platen provided with a separate plate, of metal or wood, of a proper thickness to allow pressure to beapplied thereto withoutbending or warping the plates composing the platen. After the platens have been properly adjusted to the material steam is admitted from the generator, and, passing through the various folds of piping and their connections from platen to platen, under a pressure of five atmospheres, raises-the temperature between the platens to about threel hundred degrees, thereby very quickly converting the moisture in the material into vapor, which readily'passesoft' into the atmosphere through the ends and sides of the lumber. To thoroughly season .the material requires from ten to thirty minutes, according to its thickness. Ihe steam is then shut off,

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the platens lowered, and the material removed from the end of the apparatus opposite to that where it was inserted.

Among the principal advantages obtained by my improvements over the devices hereto fore employed for artificially seasoning lumber and like material are, first, my platens can be made very cheaplyand readily and by any person of ordinary skill;V second, the steampiping within the platens avoids all danger of the platens bursting by the internal pressure vof steam against their sides, as is frequent Where the steam is admitted directly into a hollow cast platen; third, the weight and thickw ness of my platens, as compared with that of eastplatens, enables four times their numberto be put into effective operation in `t-he same apparatus, and consequently affords a greater drying capacity 5 fourth, the passing of the steam directly from platen to platen renders the operation of seasoning the material more effective and at a much4 less expense; and, fth, the manner of suspending the platens is simple and cheap, and affords ready means for adapt-ing the platens to various thicknesses of material in the same apparat-us.

Whatl claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. The platen A, formed of metal plates a, side plates, b, anda fold or a series of folds of piping, B, constructed and arranged substantially as described.

2. Aseries of platens, A, provided with studs a, and by means of links a2 adapted to be suspended in horizontal planes, one beneath the other, substantially as described and shown.

3. A series of platens, A, provided with a fold or a series of folds of piping, BJ, and a series of pipes, b2, connecting the platens together, substantially as described and shown.

4. A series of platens provided with means for their suspension in horizontal planes beneath each other, and having a fold or series of folds of piping, provided with connect-ingpipes between the platens, substantially as set forth.

This specification signed and witnessed this 26th day of March, A. D. 1881.

. DAVID F. NOYES.

Witnesses:

C. S. DRURY, W. OBRIEN. 

